There isn't a tourist destination quite like New Orleans anywhere else in the United States. A cultural melting pot on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the city in the bend of the river is home to a diverse heritage, beautiful architecture and highly-desired ethnic food.

Perhaps what "NOLA" is most famous for is its eccentric traditions. The Big Easy ranked as the most sinful in the United States, exceeding traditional dens of iniquity such as Las Vegas, Miami and Atlantic City.

Why was New Orleans ranked number one and Las Vegas ranked eighth? Our economist created an index for each of the seven deadly sins — wrath, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, and sloth — to identify the sinfulness of 150 U.S. metros.

For example, when ranking lust, we measured the number of adult entertainment venues in each city per 10,000 households. For sloth (laziness), the index considered the percent of residents reporting no exercise in a 30-day period. To establish a top 10, an overall sin index was identified by averaging a metro's rank in each sin.

America's Top 10 Sin Cities
U.S. Metro Area Overall Sin Index Wrath Rank Envy Rank Gluttony Rank Greed Rank Lust Rank Pride Rank Sloth Rank
New Orleans, LA 27.7 33 17 15 27 6 65 31
Atlantic City, NJ 28.0 40 18 24 7 1 71 35
Philadelphia, PA 38.9 2 3 23 98 16 96 34
Tampa, FL 43.6 50 37 27 97 12 31 51
Toledo, OH 45.3 19 14 19 79 28 118 40
Louisville, KY 45.5 NA 29 26 49 47 95 27
Shreveport, LA 48.1 18 78 39 29 75 86 12
Las Vegas, NV 48.2 5 117 113 3 2 20 77.5
San Antonio, TX 49.3 37 97 38 45 29 57 42
Columbus, OH 50.0 NA 60 55 36 33 49 67

It may come as a surprise to see New Orleans sitting at the top and infamous sinful cities holding a lower rank. However, the overall sin index creates an even playing field for identifying the most sinful cities. New Orleans appears to have mastered the art of balancing those sins with steady high rankings in each category.

While New Orleans is the most sinful city, sometimes sin has its benefits. Consider gluttony, which is hard to avoid in a city home to many award-winning restaurants. The Crescent City offers a diverse range of international cuisines like Cajun, Creole and Cuban. New Orleans is also famous for cocktail drinks like the hurricane, a hangover in a glass made from cheap rum and fruit juice.

Greed is not a virtue either, but according to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, gambling accounted for $189 million of state revenue in 2014. When compared to the national average rate, NOLA is home to twice as many casinos per household, creating a large source of revenue of the city. Boomtown in the Aqua Vista neighborhood, Harrah's in the heart of the city or The Treasure Chest in the Estelle neighborhood are three of the city's more popular establishments.

Despite its sinful ranking, the "Big Easy" is an incredible city with just as many virtuous qualities. With attractions such as Bourbon Street in the historic French Quarter, plenty of live music venues and rich cultural sites on each block, the city will remain a big-time tourist destination. The people of New Orleans simply know how to have a good time, and enjoy their food and drink.